Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the dimensions of an electrochemical cell allowing a total area of the electrochemical cell to be minimized while maximizing an electrical signal generated by the electrochemical cell in operation, including: a/ determining a first cost function expressing the variation in a first parameter representative of the total area as a function of an adjustment variable representative of an aspect ratio of the active zone; b/ determining a second cost function expressing the variation in a second parameter representative of the generated electrical signal as a function of the adjustment variable; c/ determining a compound cost function from the first and second cost functions and identifying a value of the adjustment variable that optimizes the compound cost function and that therefore conjointly optimizes the first and second cost functions.

Abstract: A low-NOx end-fired furnace for melting glass equipped with an overhead burner includes an inlet duct for oxidizer, including 15% to 30% of oxygen, in its upstream wall, a duct for receiving the combustion flue gases in its upstream wall, and a sonic injection system including at least one injector for injecting a jet of a gas at a speed at least equal to 80% of the speed of sound, referred to as a sonic injector, opening into the upstream wall or opening into the duct for receiving the combustion flue gases, the sonic injector injecting its gas counter-current to the stream of the combustion flue gases that are heading toward the duct for receiving the combustion flue gases.

Abstract: A low-NOx end-fired furnace for melting glass equipped with an overhead burner includes an inlet duct for oxidizer, including 15% to 30% of oxygen, in its upstream wall, a duct for receiving the combustion flue gases in its upstream wall, and a sonic injection system including at least one injector for injecting a jet of a gas at a speed at least equal to 80% of the speed of sound, referred to as a sonic injector, opening into the upstream wall or opening into the duct for receiving the combustion flue gases, the sonic injector injecting its gas counter-current to the stream of the combustion flue gases that are heading toward the duct for receiving the combustion flue gases.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the dimensions of an electrochemical cell allowing a total area of the electrochemical cell to be minimized while maximizing an electrical signal generated by the electrochemical cell in operation, including: a/ determining a first cost function expressing the variation in a first parameter representative of the total area as a function of an adjustment variable representative of an aspect ratio of the active zone; b/ determining a second cost function expressing the variation in a second parameter representative of the generated electrical signal as a function of the adjustment variable; c/ determining a compound cost function from the first and second cost functions and identifying a value of the adjustment variable that optimizes the compound cost function and that therefore conjointly optimizes the first and second cost functions.

Abstract: A device for balancing charge in a battery (2) having a set of electrochemical storage cells (C1, C2, . . . , CR), and a charging means (R1, . . . , Rs) able to recharge a plurality of combinations of at least one cell, in which for each combination of the plurality of combinations, the charging means are arranged in order to simultaneously recharge all the cells of said combination, the plurality of combinations defining a number N strictly higher than one of combination types, each combination type corresponding to a number m of cells in this combination, and the charging means are permitted to function at a number P of power levels, this number P being strictly lower than the number N of combination types.

Abstract: A low-NOx end-fired furnace for melting glass equipped with an overhead burner includes an inlet duct for oxidizer, including 15% to 30% of oxygen, in its upstream wall, a duct for receiving the combustion flue gases in its upstream wall, and a sonic injection system including at least one injector for injecting a jet of a gas at a speed at least equal to 80% of the speed of sound, referred to as a sonic injector, opening into the upstream wall or opening into the duct for receiving the combustion flue gases, the sonic injector injecting its gas counter-current to the stream of the combustion flue gases that are heading toward the duct for receiving the combustion flue gases.

Abstract: A device for balancing load of a storage device including plural elements connected in series. The device includes: a DC/AC converter including an inverter and a series resonant circuit connected to the output of the inverter; plural AC/DC converters, each including an input and an output that is connected to one of the respective storage elements and selectively supplies power to the output thereof; a transformer, the main winding of which is connected to the series resonant circuit and the secondary winding of which has outputs connected to an input of a respective AC/DC converter; and a control circuit configured to control the DC/AC converter at the current source when a number of outputs supplied with power is no higher than a threshold and moreover configured to control the DC/AC converter at a constant power when the number of outputs supplied with power is greater than the threshold.

Abstract: A device for balancing charge of an electric power storage device including: a plurality of electrical storage elements connected in series including at least two current limiting DC/DC converters each including: an input configured to be connected to terminals of a respective storage element; an output configured to be connected to an electrical network having a voltage controlled at a lower level than the voltage at the terminals of the storage device; a transformation law of following type: Vout=K1*Ve?f(I) for I<=1 lim, in which Vout is potential difference at the output, K1 is a constant, Ve is potential difference at the input, f(I) is an affine function of current I delivered at the output, and 1 lim is current limitation of the converter.

Abstract: A device for balancing load of a storage device including plural elements connected in series. The device includes: a DC/AC converter including an inverter and a series resonant circuit connected to the output of the inverter; plural AC/DC converters, each including an input and an output that is connected to one of the respective storage elements and selectively supplies power to the output thereof; a transformer, the main winding of which is connected to the series resonant circuit and the secondary winding of which has outputs connected to an input of a respective AC/DC converter; and a control circuit configured to control the DC/AC converter at the current source when a number of outputs supplied with power is no higher than a threshold and moreover configured to control the DC/AC converter at a constant power when the number of outputs supplied with power is greater than the threshold.

Abstract: An electrical power supply system has electrical energy storage modules and an interconnection interface. Each module includes connection terminals of opposite polarities and an energy storage element connected between them. The interface includes pairs of input terminals and output terminals for a load's power supply. Each pair of input terminals connects removably to connection terminals of a respective storage module. The interface forms parallel branches between the two output terminals. Each includes a storage element. Each branch includes a rheostat in series with a corresponding storage element of the branch. The interface includes a device for measuring current passing through each of the branches, and a control circuit for controlling resistances of the rheostats of the branches as a function of the measured current so as to maintain a current intensity passing through the rheostats to be below a threshold.

Abstract: An electrochemical reactor is provided, including an electrical connector including an end part occupying a position referred to as engaged in a stack of electrochemical cells, including: an electrical contact portion; and a blocking portion, including: either a blocking through-orifice receiving by insertion an abutment element of an electrochemical cell, or a blocking element introduced by insertion into an abutting through-orifice of the electrochemical cell, the insertion, when the end part occupies the engaged position, leading to the formation of an abutment opposing the retraction of the end part out of the engaged position.

Abstract: An assembly including a battery and a management system, wherein: the battery includes at least three stages in series between a negative terminal and a positive terminal of the battery; and the management system includes: at least two first voltage sensors each having first and second measurement nodes connected by at least two consecutive stages of the battery, said first sensors being arranged so that each stage has its positive terminal connected to one of the first sensors, and does not have its negative terminal connected to the same first sensor; and at least one second voltage sensor having first and second measurement nodes respectively coupled to the positive terminal and to the negative terminal of a same stage of the battery.

Abstract: A charge-balancing device for balancing charge of an electrical power-storage device that has several series-connected electrical storage elements two DC/DC converters with current limitation, each having an input for receiving a set value of output voltage from the converter, an input to be connected to the terminals of a respective storage element, and an output to be connected to an electric network having a voltage regulated at a level below a voltage at the terminals of the power-storage device, and a control module. The control module is configured to determine respective residual charges of the electrical storage elements connected to the inputs and to apply a higher set value of voltage to the converter connected to an electrical storage elements that has a highest residual charge.

Abstract: The invention relates to a combustion method for glass melting, in which a flame is created both by a liquid fuel pulse and a single gaseous fuel pulse, characterized in that the fraction of the total power due to the liquid fuel varies between 20 and 80%, and in that the specific gaseous fuel pulse is limited to a value that is sufficiency low so that the NOx content of the flue gases produced does not exceed 800 mg/Sm3 for a cross-fired furnace and 600 mg/Sm3 for an end-fired furnace; an injector for implementing this method; a burner comprising one or more such injectors; a furnace comprising at least one such burner.

Abstract: A charge balancing system for a power battery includes a number of modules connected in series, each having two accumulator stages, each having an accumulator and isolated parallel converters connected to associated accumulator stages and to a low-voltage power system for supplying auxiliaries of an automobile. The converters have first unidirectional converters, each connected across terminals of a module and to the supply system, and second unidirectional converters each connected to the supply system and across the terminals of the accumulator stages, and a control unit for the first and second unidirectional converters. The control unit is configured for controlling a first converter to bring the modules to a similar charge level, for controlling a energy transfer from the battery to the supply system via the first converters, and for controlling a second converter to bring the associated accumulator stages of a module to a similar charge level.

Abstract: A device for balancing charge in a battery (2) having a set of electrochemical storage cells (C1, C2, . . . , CR), and a charging means (R1, . . . , Rs) able to recharge a plurality of combinations of at least one cell, in which for each combination of the plurality of combinations, the charging means are arranged in order to simultaneously recharge all the cells of said combination, the plurality of combinations defining a number N strictly higher than one of combination types, each combination type corresponding to a number m of cells in this combination, and the charging means are permitted to function at a number P of power levels, this number P being strictly lower than the number N of combination types.

Abstract: A charge-balancing device for balancing charge of an electrical power-storage device that has several series-connected electrical storage elements two DC/DC converters with current limitation, each having an input for receiving a set value of output voltage from the converter, an input to be connected to the terminals of a respective storage element, and an output to be connected to an electric network having a voltage regulated at a level below a voltage at the terminals of the power-storage device, and a control module. The control module is configured to determine respective residual charges of the electrical storage elements connected to the inputs and to apply a higher set value of voltage to the converter connected to an electrical storage elements that has a highest residual charge.

Abstract: An electrical power supply system has electrical energy storage modules and an interconnection interface. Each module includes connection terminals of opposite polarities and an energy storage element connected between them. The interface includes pairs of input terminals and output terminals for a load's power supply. Each pair of input terminals connects removably to connection terminals of a respective storage module. The interface forms parallel branches between the two output terminals. Each includes a storage element. Each branch includes a rheostat in series with a corresponding storage element of the branch. The interface includes a device for measuring current passing through each of the branches, and a control circuit for controlling resistances of the rheostats of the branches as a function of the measured current so as to maintain a current intensity passing through the rheostats to be below a threshold.

Abstract: A charge balancing system for a power battery includes a number of modules connected in series, each having two accumulator stages, each having an accumulator and isolated parallel converters connected to associated accumulator stages and to a low-voltage power system for supplying auxiliaries of an automobile. The converters have first unidirectional converters, each connected across terminals of a module and to the supply system, and second unidirectional converters each connected to the supply system and across the terminals of the accumulator stages, and a control unit for the first and second unidirectional converters. The control unit is configured for controlling a first converter to bring the modules to a similar charge level, for controlling a energy transfer from the battery to the supply system via the first converters, and for controlling a second converter to bring the associated accumulator stages of a module to a similar charge level.

Abstract: A portable electronic device with a USB connector comprising a card body complying with chip card layout standards, with at least one elastic hinge going from one edge to another of the card body allowing a 180° folding, and a contour of the card body such that, in the closed folded state, a zone supporting a USB contact has the thickness and width of a standard male USB connector. Preferably the card body is an ISO 7816 standard card body, incorporating a corresponding connection contact, and it comprises two elastic hinges dividing the card body into a central portion and two lateral portions. The hinges may advantageously be positioned so as to incorporate an antenna and/or a magnetic strip.